Boracay Getaway

I've been busy and lazy lately so I don't get to update my blog regularly. But I can't let a great vacation unposted, can I?

Well, it wasn't what you'd really call a great vacation, for one thing, I got an uncooperative weather. And I was warned that going to the beach on a rainy day is strongly not recommended. But being with my parents and seeing my sister and her husband was more than enough to enjoy a time away from the busy and smoggy city.

We left rainy Manila on a Wednesday morning. Right after my Tuesday shift. I met up with my parents in Makati and headed to the Airport. I was positive that our flight will be delayed, I don't know if it's a Filipino thing, because it did. Luckily, we were given the option to take the earlier flight, so thank God, we were spared from the trouble of waiting indefinitely (which I hate to the bones!). This was my second time flying (excluding my childhood experience), and the first time with my parents, so I was extremely excited. And because I'm the only kid on this trip, I have no competition for the window seat. Yay! We took off, 20 minutes earlier than our original flight.

What I love about flying is seeing the areal view of my country's beautiful and untouched islands. The coral reefs are just as breath taking, even seeing from up above. Sure I would love to set foot on these amazing places, but in my heart, I pray that these remote parts of the earth remain unmolested by commercial development. Leave them alone please!

We arrived in Caticlan airport just in time for lunch. We were instructed to go to the Tabon port via trike and take the boat to Boracay Island. The boat ride is less than 10 minutes, when we got to Boracay, Pipay and Mike met us and took us to their rented house, again via trike. While on the tricycle, I can't help but notice the overwhelming number of Koreans. I know there are many Koreans here in the Philippines to study English, but man, forgive me for my lack of term, but, they infested Boracay. There's a Korean church and a major convenience store boasted selling Korean products. I saw land for lease sign boards with Korean translation and a parade of bug cars (manned by Koreans of course). It's not a bad thing, It's good for tourism, I was just overwhelmed, I didn't see it coming hehehe.

We arrived at Mike and Pipay's place and ate lunch that Pipay cooked - Menudo. I was not surprised that she had learned how to cook, but I was amazed how well she did. My mom loved it and told her that she should be cooking for our town fiesta from now on. They are renting a studio type room that feels like a condo. Every furniture and appliance is provided by the landowner, and with PHP7K a month rate, all in (water and electricity), I thought to myself, I can escape the Metro and live here for a month! I can go on LOA! LOL!

After lunch, we settled for a while and head off to the island's famous beaches. My dad was hesitant at first, opting to stay and watch TV but my mom booed and, well, forced him to come with us. Our first destination is the Puka beach. Compared to the Long Beach, it has an off-white and less refined sand. However, it is less crowded too. There's not much establishment in place, other than the souvenir shops at the entrance and the walking ice cream vendor. If you're in for a much peaceful place, I'd say, this is where you should go.

having a great time despite the gloomy sky

behind me is the Carabao Island, another island worth checking

acting like a papparazzi to my parents

Next, we went to Long Beach a.k.a. White Beach (it's officially White Beach, but because the locals call it Long beach, I'll call it like that for the rest of this post). This beach alone defines everything I know of Boracay, white powder-like sand and party people. I think it's safe for me to say that much of the commercial development are concentrated here. Just a few walk from the sea is a (long) line of restaurants, bars, hotels and souvenir shops. It was such a pain for someone who values solitude I tell you, but in a way convenient. You practically can do anything to make your vacation worthwhile.

In the beach, there's a place for devout Catholics to seek refuge

checking the Grotto with my parents and sister

mom and dad, enjoying the white sand

While I didn't really look forward to swim, I truly enjoyed walking in bare feet on the sand. The powdery feel of the sand in my feet and the calm sound of the waves gives me a sense of peace that's hard to explain, despite the presence of the crowd. I would have wanted to experience the night life here, I didn't get to do it. We spent most of the time walking. After the beach, we headed off to D' Talipapa, the flea market to get souvenirs and pasalubong. My mom is a window shopping junkie. She checked every stall and and every item she find interesting. By the end of the day, I have no energy left to stay up. When we got home, I took a bath and went straight to sleep without eating dinner.

My sister and brother-in-law went to his employer's staff house to spend the night and left the place for us to stay. By morning, we woke up and fended for ourselves for breakfast. With my dad around, it was just like home, he prepared everything for breakfast. Pipay and Mike arrived to prepare for lunch and next activities. I witnessed my sister cook with her laptop on to check every now and then the recipe she downloaded from the net. So that's how she learned, I thought to myself. We spent the rest of the morning talking about our family and our lives. My mom and my sister always talk on the phone everyday, so there's really not much to catch up.

After lunch we headed to Bulabog beach, located at the opposite of Long Beach. I read that this is where sports activities like wind surfing and kite boarding are held but because of the gloomy weather, I didn't see those things. We decided that we'd try the helmet diving (reef walking). I find it a little risky but my parents were up to it. Because it's off peak season and we're Filipinos, we got a really cheap deal, for only PHP350 per person, where as foreign tourists are charged PHP1000 per person. I felt a little guilty, thought it was unfair, but then again, foreign employers pay OFWs less too compared to other nationals, so I guess that makes us even. We took a 10 minute speedboat ride to the reef then we were oriented what to expect and what to do under the water. The helmets that we're about to wear weigh 20 kg. I was excited and at the same time worried for my parents. I had reason too. They are not so young and a little mistake could prove dangerous, and in fact it did. While we were 8 feet under and the diver guide/photographer were asking us to pose for the cam, my dad went off balance and for a second, slipped off his helmet. Just seconds after that, my mom did the same thing. Good thing the diver who's assisting us was alert. He managed to have my parents get their acts together while I panicked. They made the right decision to go up, even though they just got down, who cares about getting their money's worth at a situation like that? In other words, I was left all alone with the diver, to enjoy the reef.

Being under the sea and seeing the wonders of nature is just amazing. I have no words to describe it. It must be fun to be a mermaid, there are just so many things down there that would continually take your breath away. It's fun to feed the fish, pretend to play with them and watch the live corals breath. My only regret was that I don't have the proper gears and suit for this. Maybe next time I'll get them. My parents went down for the second time and stayed for a short while for the video op. But because they looked more scared than excited, I'm keeping their videos to myself hehehe.

After the diving activity, we went back to Long Beach, I thought we could swim a little but the waves are huge and decided it's too dangerous to try so we went home instead and prepared for our next trip ~ to Shangri La hotel. Mike works as a facility engineer (or something like that) in Shangri La so we get to have access inside and have a peek what it was like in a luxurious hotel. It was amazing. Here is a secluded place, perfect for privacy-seeking celebrities with magnificent interior design and lagoon-like pools, everything that a huge earning executive VIP could ask.

This is not the first time I've been in a five-star hotel, but every time I get to experience it, I felt a surge of envy run through my veins. How can some people get to enjoy it when they want to and most (including me) don't. Life is unfair, that's the only answer I could think of. Maybe someday, I'll get to enjoy these too.

One of my favorite area in the resort is the Entertainment Center. They separated kids with adults. Having a kid within me gives me excuse to play around.

It was also fun to see the hotel holding its annual Boralympics for the employees. It was some sort of a relay competition. Looking at Mike and his colleagues, I got a sense that Shangri La Boracay employees seemed to be having a great time working there. I'm probably being shallow, but I want to keep my observation that way. It's heartwarming to see employees work towards a common goal. The past two employers that I've had are reeking of politics, no wonder I always long for a vacation.

After the tour at Shangri La, we went D' Talipapa. Mike and Pipay treat us in a Dampa-like eatery where you shop for your own sea food at the wet market then choose a restaurant who'd cook it for you. The restaurant where Pipay took us were fully booked, but she said it's the best one so we had to wait. Damn it was worth the wait. We had buttered shrimp with lemon and garlic, sauteed crab, stuffed squid and fried Tilapia. It was sumptuous!

After dinner, we went to a massage parlor. My mom enjoyed a mild massage (I don't know a massage name LOL!) while the rest of us wait. My dad and I had the option to have one too, but we're just not into it. I just don't get this whole massage thing, I find it painful to be slapped and have somebody's hand apply pressure on my muscle. Where's the pleasure in that? Waiting for my mom back there was probably the most boring part of the trip. Mike and Pipay were suppose to take me to the hang out places at night, but again, I was out of energy so I opted to stay and wait. When we got home, the first thing we did was pack our things. Our flight is the morning next day, we won't have the time to do it when we wake up. Then off to bed. Zzzzz...

Like any blog post I did for a trip, ending the post is always the most difficult. I hardly remember what the departure looked like. My thoughts back then are filled with longing for home and at the same time, sadness for parting with my sister and the thought of embracing the stress that going back to work has to offer. Going back to the loud city again.

One thing I know, this is not my last Boracay trip I promise. I want to try the night life next time And who knows, maybe I'll stay in Shangri La by then.

A Timely Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures below. They belong to their respective owners (see http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/photo/index.html)

A fan looks out, during the semi-final match Japan vs. Sweden

It's been a week since the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup concluded but I'm still celebrating. I probably have seen the highlights video over a thousand times and yet I'm still not over it. What a breathtaking game! I remember waking up on a very early morning and looking for a live streaming of the game online, but to my lack of luck and laziness, I settled on checking the live play-by-play updates instead. But I gotta say, the excitement I felt as new update pops out paralleled the excitement of people who were actually watching the game. That, coming from a non-football fan or any sports in general.

Yep, I'm not a sports fan, I always find it fun to watch the finals of a cup, tournament, or whatever. I see it as an opportunity to make a friendly bet with family and friends. But this Women's World Cup was extra special to me. More than the fact that I made a bet for Japan, more than the fact that I'm such a Japanoholic, Nadeshiko's victory symbolizes so much hope and possibility.

Given the record of the US team in the previous world cups, and the fact that Japan had never beat them on their past 25 matches. Japan's victory over US is a classic David vs. Goliath story. Not only the teams, but also the fan base. In the online community I'm in, the people I follow on Twitter, the people I made bet with, were all for team USA and I kinda felt alone rooting for Japan, but seeing them win against a very strong team was very fulfilling. There were times that I was ready to give up but Nadeshiko Japan managed to equalize the game at a very unexpected manner, 2 times. And every time they did, a new hope glimmers and I believed that they can actually make it. And they did. They never gave up, they truly deserve to win. Just what a healing nation needed.

Nadeshiko Japan, relishing the victory

Hats off to the recipient of the Golden Ball (best player) and Golden Boot (top goal scorer) awards, Homare Sawa. She was amazing throughout the tournament. She remained a leader and an inspiration to the team and even after receiving the award, she remained humble and gave credits to her team mate, stating that she can't take any personal pride in taking them.

Ayumi Kaihori's impressive save

In my opinion, the player of the match Ayumi Kaihori, deserve the Golden Glove award (best goal keeper) instead of Hope Solo. Now I have nothing about the USA's goal keeper, I think she's great, it's just that Kaihori's saves are far more impressive than Solo's. I even watched the US-Brazil highlights just to compare, and I still think that Kaihori outdid Solo.

So now that I've blogged about it, I can move on. I'd like to think that the game converted me to a Foot Ball fan, but I can't say that yet. It's a little frustrating that I can't cheer for my own country. But it gave me a lot of hope that Philippines have a chance in making a name in sports other than boxing. There is hope.

The Sorry State...

While I'm watching the live updates on the 2011 Women's World Cup finals and vigorously rooting for Japan, I am contemplating on this 7-11 survey that I saw a couple of days ago, and I'm talking of the previous' week's survey: Proud ka pa din bang maging Pinoy? (Are you still proud to be a Filipino?)

While it's a good thing that majority is proud to be one, it's alarming to see a huge number is not. 42% is just not right, it's almost half of the people who took the survey. And I may not be the best person to talk about this, just look at my profile and you'll know why. It's not surprising that a lot of Filipinos doesn't feel the pride of being one, we are a flawed nation. We have a disgustingly corrupt government and people lack discipline. When we are on international news, it's usually something that would upset the world. We have very little sense of patriotism, something I really envy from other countries. We have a lot to work on to improve, and saying that is an understatement.

Here's the thing though, I may not like a lot of Filipino stuff and I have a huge longing to go out of the country, to Japan specifically. But I know in my heart, that here is where my home is. This is the only place I would choose to die. I see the real beauty of my country and its people and I look forward to seeing more. While I breath, I hope to live to see the day that we become a nation truly proud for who we are. And yes, I am proud to be a Filipino.

Smartphone Inconveniences

When I saw signs that my Sony Ericsson K750i is on the brink of destruction. I felt the urge to get a new cellphone. A lot of people treat their phones like oxygen, but me, other than call and text, I use it as a clock. But don't we all love the technology we have now and do different things with cellphone? So when I was deciding for a new one, I list camera, music player, wifi and JavaScript capability as requirements.

But then, just when I thought I've had enough with gadgets, I found myself longing for a an Iphone. I hate to admit it, but I fall for it, I used to like one so badly I would countdown my postpaid contract end date to get one. Hear me out okay. I work for a company that used to be an exclusive carrier of Iphone, and when you deal with Iphone issues at least 3 times a day, you find yourself falling for the most expensive paper weight. I would check on Iphone users' forum and read about cool apps, I often see it on CNN, TEDS, and a lot of TV shows. Then I learned that my friend Mike teamed up with other game developers and put up a game studio developing games for iOS. So I decided, I'll get an Iphone!

But then, when you see too many people around you getting one, it becomes less and less appealing. I sometimes pride myself as someone who doesn't fall for something that everybody is into. It's fun to find music that feels like my own private experience, music that not everybody gets. So there, I totally lost interest on Iphone. A stubborn reasoning, but thank God that's me. It's just not worth the price. Instead I got an Android. Okay, so it's not the kind of music that I was talking about. To date, Android is the world's best selling smartphone OS. But then, it's a lot cheaper and my favorite wireless phone brand carries Android so why not?

oh no, my phone is a lot smaller than this hehehe

I got me a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini. Like many other new gadgets available, it has a touchscreen instead of a keypad. The camera has 5 megapixel resolution with a LED flash, it can take HD videos. The internet loads faster than my previous phone. I'm pretty satisfied. I love it.

Except that I have not really enjoyed the "smart" side of it yet. Maybe it's just me not being tech savvy, but I thought that a smartphone is supposed to do everything you need to make your "on-the-go" lifestyle a lot easier. I have some things to diss. (Now if you are a fan of smartphones, don't get too agitated, for this post, I'm only referring to my phone.)

The Apps. There are too many of them! But I only want a dictionary and a carbon footprint calculator, but why does it seem so hard to find a decent one. Maybe because I'm only looking for the free ones and most of the free ones requires me to connect to the web to use the application. I mean that's not fair, I shouldn't be required to add more charges on my phone bill just to understand what sigmatism means or help me decide if I should prioritize buying a vacuum cleaner over a water closet. Sometimes I have those moments that I feel like an idiot and I need a smart advice hehehe. Help me smartyphone!

Call Restriction. There are times when I don't want to receive calls. Not that I'm avoiding people, but calls from telemarketers offering loans are just annoying. Specially when they ruin my sleep. This function is one of the first things I checked and I was just dumbfounded when I realized I can't do it with my new phone. Now if you own the same phone as I do and you think I'm wrong, you might want to help me because I've checked call and security settings and there's just no option that would let me put a call barring. Or do I need to download an app for that?

Battery. Now I thought the battery issue is unique to Iphone, apparently not. At most, my battery lasts 2 days, my old phone would last a week without charging. Now as a defender of planet earth, this is a problem. As much as I want to conserve energy, my phone won't let me. Uh oh...

Messaging. If you are someone who likes to send GMs, forget getting an Android. The messaging uses a chat approach and there's no Send-to-many option. There's no inbox or outbox. Instead, there's a thread that stores my SMS exchanges for every contact in my phone book. It's not that hard, except that there are more steps and redundancy involve if I want to forward a heartwarming message to my friends. I figured that on Christmas and other holidays, I will insert my SIM to my old phone just to greet everyone. Another problem for this chat approach is when I have to share prepaid credits to my family. It's a more complicated process and I don't want to make a long post out of it, so I won't go over that anymore. Bottom line is, I want the old school messaging!

Those are just some of the things that irked me. Generally, I like it. Next time, I'll talk about the good things about it.

Laugh. Dance. Win!

The only time I remember winning a raffle was 9 years ago, at a time when access to anime was limited and being a true fan requires commitment and effort. A group called Anima Anime held monthly anime film showings, at the end of the day, they will have a raffle for premium items. The grand prize can be DVD or OST CD of an anime series or anything that a fan would die for. I won an AXN post-it pad. Sure, it might just be a freebie from AXN, but hey, not everyone gets to own it. So I got excited when I won. To date, I haven't used up all the sheets, I am making sure I keep something as a souvenir because winning a raffle, no matter how small the prize is, happens once in a lifetime. At least for me.

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from 2ndavenue saying I am one of the "lucky" weekly winners of an ongoing promo -Catch the Dancing Ellen Year 4. 2nd Avenue, by the way, is the channel that airs my favorite talkshow (and some of my favorite TV show). Every year, they give Philippine viewers a chance to win a ticket to The Ellen Degeneres Show, and the mechanics is pretty simple, it varies every year, but it always involves a dancing Ellen. This year, you have to take note of the feature guest when a small dancing Ellen appears at the bottom of the TV screen, and then you have to email the answer together with your contact information. I have only sent 2 entries when I won. I'm starting to feel like Ellen is my lucky charm, now I love her even more.

I won a Flip Camcorder, A t-shirt that says "I dance with Ellen", TEDS fridge magnet and pen and a 2ndavenue notepad.

The truth is, I really wanted to win the grand prize, I wish to see the show in person and I feel that I have very little chance of getting it. But winning a weekly raffle geared up my hope, and who knows...

And if you're wondering, the Flip camcorder is best for outdoor recording, it doesn't have LED light so I have to make sure I use it in a fine weather. But still, no one can stop me from taking music box videos hehehe.

Ye Olde Wedding Watch

I recently participated a poll in Facebook, asking if I was interested in the Royal Wedding this coming April 29. I'm talking about Prince William and Kate Middleton of course. There are more than 70%, I think, who answered "NO". I decided to take a stand and joined the majority who didn't seem to be interested. When I think about it now, the fact that I took the poll must have meant I am interested, otherwise, I should have ignored it. Right?

No!

Here's the thing, no matter how I keep myself out of it, with the attention the media is giving it, I can't help but be absorbed. I mean when you watch TV, every station has a special something before the wedding, every news program has a rep to cover the celebration, my email sign in page displays a guest book asking me to wish the couple the best for their special day. The experts are forecasting the coverage to be the most watched TV special in history. I'm pretty sure my mom and my sisters will be glued on the TV on April 29. And there's nothing wrong with that. Really. Two people in love, professing their lifetime commitment before the world. I wish them the best. I really do.

Still... I wonder. What's so special about it? Why so much fuss? I can understand the media attention when famous people are on the spot. When Michael Jackson died, I was glued on the TV myself, thinking "oh man, I can't believe it!". But I feel it’s different, it's MJ, he's an icon. He practically invented a whole new standard of performing and everyone followed. His music changed the world. Now my point is, I can't feel the initiatives of the royal family to make this world a better place. I'm sure they are doing something, I just feel it's not enough. Okay, now I sound like I'm asking too much. They are just human, they might be eating the most expensive food but our shit smells the same.

I guess the great thing about it is, hope. The royal family would always function as a "symbo"l of sovereignty, and this event symbolizes hope. Amidst the negative things that's happening around the world, there will be a reason to celebrate. And despite the fact that previous marriages of the other princes and princesses failed, I do hope that this one would stand still to disappoint cynicals like me. Cheers to yer highness!

Updates, updates!!!

It's time for another round of updates.


Some people decide to cut their hair for a new look, but for me, I do it for convenience. When my bangs start to irritate my eyes, it's a sign, I need a haircut! Ugh!

Yesterday I went to Manila Doctors Hospital to meet Dindee and her husband Benny. She was at the OR doing thyroidectomy, while waiting, I decided to look around at the hospital. I barely recognized anyone, it feels weird. I ran into Dr. Cuayo-Juico, she told me I haven't changed but I gained weight. I need to work out! Ugh!

On the other hand, when I met Benny, he told me I look like a Japanese. Yay!

The other night, my mom and dad went to a Jose Mari Chan concert at Thunderbird resort. I got envious because I'm a JMC fan, I wanted to go too, but I can't because I have work. They took home a signed copy of Souvenirs. Really, I am so envious!

I dropped by at Robinson's Place in Ermita yesterday to buy books. I am loving Jodi Picoult, she's very easy to read, at the same time very moving.

I also bought a copy of Songs for Japan with a hope that Japan recovers as soon as possible from one of its worst crisis. John Lennon's Imagine and Queen's Te O Tori Atte (Let Us Cling Together) makes the album worth buying. The other 35 tracks are not bad either. I highly recommend getting it, if you're in for a good cause and good music.

It's been really quiet these days...

My Lakbayan (travelling) grade

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Visita Iglesia 2011

Last Saturday, I did something I haven't done before. I joined the annual Visita Iglesia organized by our local parish. It's a Catholic tradition where in pilgrims visit 7 churches during Lenten season to ask for penance. In each church, we relive 2 stations of the cross. The priest gives homily relating each station to remind us how Christ suffered to save us. How we should follow his way for the salvation of our souls.

Let me tell you something. I have never been so eager to join these type of religious activities. The past decade my life, I got caught up in my own world - studies, friends, anime, Japan, work, ambition, etc., I barely have time for God. When I had the time to spare, I use it to bum out. But don't get me wrong. I was never an atheist nor agnostic. I have always been a believer. I just wasn't a devout Christian. I still am not, I always tell myself that I have to do it on my own pace and there are principles of the church that I contest. But last year's series of unfortunate events prompted me to pause and reflect. When I was young, my mom often told me that tragedies or unfortunate things happen not because God is punishing us, but He is testing us, our faith. Trials. They also serve as reminders because when we are drowning with blessings, we forget to thank Him, we forget to follow His ways, we forget to ask forgiveness. The recent tragedy in Japan, is again, a reminder that something is greater than us, that in this type of situation, we have no choice but to leave everything to Him.

I am thankful that I got to realize that early enough to go back to the right path before I get lost completely. I still have a long way to go, but with God's grace, I know I will make it in time.

So we visited 7 churches in the province of Pampanga. Most of them as old as our church here in Tanay and I couldn't help thinking that there must have been some kind of standard on building churches in 1600s, because they resemble one another. There's always relief sculptures of the 14 stations of the cross on both ends of the nave, there are portraits of the four evangelists (Mark, Matthew, Luke, and Thomas) on the dome ceiling, the choir loft sits just above the main entrance (which I doubt is being used by the choir nowadays). Not every church has pulpit though. As I look at these old buildings, I can't help wishing I paid more attention on Arts History. It's amazing how these buildings survived for centuries. They were built at a time when there was raw technology. A stark reminder that machines can never replace the workmanship of humans.

Sta. Rita de Cascia Parish in Sta. Rita, Pampanga

Interior of Sta. Rita Parish

St. Augustine Parish in Lubao Pampanga

Interior of St. Augustine Parish, it is currently undergoing restoration

Immaculate Concepcion Parish in Guagua, Pampanga

Interior of Immaculate Concepcion Parish

My favorite church would have to be the St. James parish in Betis, Pampanga. It has a simple facade outside but once you go inside, it has the most intricate interior of all the churches I've ever seen. It has a wooden floor too, which makes it really unique. The guard on duty (another special feature hahaha, you don't normally see a guard in a church) warned us at the onset of our arrival that we have to turn off the flash of our cameras when taking picture. The place is packed with mural paintings all over, the people there seems to be serious in maintaining the beauty of their church. Whether some people are hard headed or plain ignorant on how to change the settings of their cameras (most of the pilgrims are old people), the guard got really stressed out in reprimanding people who failed to turn off the flash and it was really amusing to watch him hehehe.

St. James Paris in Betis, Pampanga

the pulpit is the stand where friars used to conduct their sermon

awww the poor Manong Guard, his BP went up for sure

Kidd in front of the altar

I am mostly proud of the San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor, Pampanga. It stood still despite being situated in one of the most devastated area when Mt. Pinatubo erupted. The place got half buried by lahar, They apparently had to tore the orginal ceilings because the ground got elevated so high. I also learned that this is the church where a popular TV series was shoot. I didn't watch it but the main character's name is Santino, I kept hearing the people say his name while we were on this place.

San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor, Pampanga

Interior of San Guillermo Parish

what used to be the windows up above is now down below, just like life...

the interior of the church before the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo

The Adoration Chapel requires you to duck before you can enter because of the elevated ground

St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Apalit, Pampanga

Interior of St. Peter the Apostle Parish

Immaculate Concepcion Parish, San Fernando Pampanga

Interior of Immaculate Concepcion Parish

We ended our pilgrimage with a mass in Immaculate Concepcion Parish in San Fernando. Now here's a tradition that I do not know if it's widely practiced. A friend told me once, that if it's you're first time hearing mass on another church, you could make a wish, guaranteed to come true. There's also that common practice of lighting a candle for your petition. Now I think that prayers will work, even if I do it in my room, but lighting a candle for a good cause won't take anything from me, so I went and got me a set of 4 candles anyway. In this parish, they even make a color coding for wishes. I only knew white candles in Baclaran church *scratch head*.

I played along anyway and chose the colors according to my personal intentions.

This whole pilgrimage is a brand new, learning and healing experience. I just realized that we have a new parish director, I don't know his name but I think I like him. The way he discuss the 14 stations of the cross, relating it to our present lives, and how he led this whole activity, I feel that our parish is in good hands. My only complaint is the bus driver, but I'm not gonna talk about him. I would just like to forgive him and pray that he becomes a better person, leaving him to God hehehe.